President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened a government shutdown if he doesn’t get funding for his proposed border wall, as he sparred with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer during a heated meeting in the Oval Office.

“If we don’t have border security, we’ll shut down the government,” Trump said at the White House, in remarks that weren’t previously scheduled to be open to the press.

Funding for the wall is the biggest sticking point in talks to keep parts of the government open past Dec. 21.

Trump has sought $5 billion for his border wall, while Democrats are offering $1.3 billion for border security. Four Senate Republicans including Ted Cruz of Texas have introduced a $25 billion measure they say will fully fund the wall — the same amount proposed by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

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Pelosi and Trump gesture at each other.

Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said the “one thing I think we can agree on is we shouldn’t shut down the government.”

Trump, who has made strengthening border security a key theme of his presidency, said he would be “proud” to shut down the government if it meant security is improved.

Addressing Schumer, Trump said Americans don’t want “criminals and people that have lots of problems and drugs pouring into our country.”

“I will take the mantle. I will be the one the shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it,” Trump said.

Addressing reporters after the meeting, House Minority Leader Pelosi said “the Trump shutdown is a luxury that the American people cannot afford” and that she’d be happy to make the first vote of the new Congress passing a bill to reopen the government if Trump does decide on a shutdown.

Pelosi said during the televised part of the meeting she didn’t think they should debate in front of the media.

In a statement afterward, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump “was grateful for the opportunity to let the press into the meeting so that the American People can see firsthand that while Republicans are fighting to protect our border, Democrats are fighting to protect illegal immigrants.”

U.S. stocksDJIA, +1.38%
drifted lower after the exchange was aired on television, but were trading up more than 100 points in the afternoon.

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